1958's "Black Pit of Dr. M" ("Misterios de Ultratomba" or Mysteries of the Grave) was among the least seen Mexican horror films to cross north of the border, perhaps because K. Gordon Murray was not involved in dubbing or distribution. There were familiar names behind the camera however, screenwriter Ramon Obon also responsible for "The Swamp of the Lost Monsters," "The Vampire," "The Vampire's Coffin," "The Living Coffin," and "The World of the Vampires," director Fernando Mendez at the helm for all but the first. Unlike the multitude of Aztec mummies, masked wrestlers, or Universal-style vampires parading in tuxedos, this turns out to be a far darker and genuinely frightening affair, more realistically along the lines of Obon's one directorial outing, "100 Cries of Terror" from 1964. Easily the standout is Rafael Bertrand as Dr. Mazali, who is present to see his asylum partner Dr. Aldama (Antonio Raxel) breathe his last, only to remind him of their pact, that the one who dies first must leave a sign to the other of a way to return to the living after death. A seance brings back Aldama's spirit, revealing that his promise to Mazali requires a three month time span, strange occurrences forming a chain of events culminating in one door opening, then closing, and only then will the truth behind eternal darkness finally come to light. We are first introduced to the late doctor's dancer daughter Patricia (Mapita Cortes), her suitor Eduardo Jimenez (Gaston Santos), and the clever and resourceful madwoman (Carolina Barret) who escapes after throwing acid in the face of hapless attendant Elmer (Carlos Ancira), rendering him a disfigured horror. All the while the black clad ghost of Aldama patiently glides through the mist as a key unlocks Patricia's heritage, a sharpened letter opener foretells doom to whoever uses it for evil, and the fateful door that closes behind Mazali does indeed lead him to a swift execution, finally gaining the answer long sought at a terrible cost. There's a fine line between Mazali's compassion and obsession (secretly in love with the unknowing Patricia), only spilling over into complete madness once he returns in a different body, rising from a fresh grave before revealing his true identity by playing the violin. Rafael Bertrand may be better known for playing the police inspector opposite Boris Karloff in 1968's "Snake People," but acquits himself well in the most challenging role, criminally second billed to handsome Gaston Santos, from "The Swamp of the Lost Monsters" and "The Living Coffin," practically invisible stuck in soppy romantic drivel, and unyielding to any belief in the afterlife.
Review of The Black Pit of Dr. M
